Seattle jumps to 18th on list of biggest U.S. cities; population growth was 11th fastest, according to Census

New U.S. Census Bureau data released on Thursday backs up what the housing crunch and traffic slowdowns have already forecast for Seattle — the city is growing rapidly and is now the 18th largest in the country.

With a 2015 population of 684,451, Seattle moved up two spots on the list of the top 20 most populous U.S. cities. By adding 15,339 residents between July 1, 2014, and July 1, 2015, Seattle ranked 11th among 15 cities with the largest numeric increase. The rankings are for cities with a population of 50,000 or more.

According to further Census data, Seattle’s estimated population has jumped by about 70,000 residents since 2010 — a little more than what it takes to fill CenturyLink Field for a Seahawks game.

Georgetown, Texas, with a population of 63,716, was the fastest growing city in the U.S., with a 7.8 percent increase. Five of the nation’s 11 fastest-growing cities are in Texas. Among the 15 fastest-growing cities, the only one outside the South or West was Ankeny, Iowa, a suburb of Des Moines.

(Via Census.gov)

Writer and editor Kurt Schlosser covers the Geek Life beat for GeekWire. A longtime journalist, photographer and designer, he has worked previously for NBC News, msnbc.com and the Seattle P-I. Follow Kurt on Twitter or reach him at kurt@geekwire.com.